Eliza Grey

“ Though delighted to escape from the miserable cellar where I had been confined, still I could not endure the idea of quitting my own country, and perhaps never again seeing dear José; I wept, screamed, whistled, and bit, but all to no purpose. The journey to Paris was very long and uninteresting, to me at least, who could see nothing, travelling in a covered basket; [23] and as I am sure my little readers are impatient to arrive at a large town, I will take them immediately to Paris; that great and wonderful city, where there are always so many amusing things to be seen. ”

“ But there was one which greatly astonished and amused me; it was a beautiful monkey, much larger than any I had ever before seen, mounted on a little pony which it trotted up and down, looking as it passed into all the carriages, through a large spy glass, at the same time making the most hideous grimaces, and using its tail instead of a whip to hurry its pony on. Judge of my surprise, when I heard an old woman near me explaining to a little girl, who was rather alarmed by the near approach of this animal, that it was not really a monkey, but a man dressed up as one! ”

“ I was perceived by a little boy, who, uttering a cry of delight, threw down the crystals he had been gathering, and seized me by the hind legs, before I could succeed in scrambling back to my hiding place. Conceive my horror—my despair, at this unexpected and frightful event. To revenge my capture, I bit the little boy’s fingers most severely, but he only held me still tighter: this was the fruit of my disobedience, which I have since so often regretted. I hope my little readers never do any thing they are bid not; for, as I have felt, naughtiness is always punished sooner or later. ”

“ When he went up the mountains, on which occasions I was left at home with the old dame, his mother, I laid very quietly all day in one corner of the kitchen chimney; but when evening approached, I climbed up a wall, which he always passed, there to await his arrival, and when I saw him, uttering a cry of delight, I used to jump on his shoulder, and, purring with pleasure, ride home in this manner. ”

“ The little children both looked very grave at this address, and the tears starting into poor Lucy’s eyes, she had some trouble to hide her grief from her affectionate protector, who could never bear to see her afflicted.
But I am sure she could not have been more grieved than I was; the idea that I should probably be separated from my dear little friends, and perhaps fall into the hands of some wicked boy, careless little girl, or cross old gentleman, who, if I only discovered he wore a wig, would, unlike my good Old Lord, be furious instead of amused ”

“ I was not allowed to go through life without misfortunes any more than my neighbours, for one evening, on little José’s returning with me after having been absent all day, the old dame, to our great horror and dismay, said that her sister Marie had called to beg José would give his Marmotte to her little son Simon, who was very ill, as she thought it would amuse him. ”

“ I thought this Lord must be a very rich man to put his gold upon his servants’ coats, instead of putting it into his pocket; and if I could have spoken, I should have asked him to give me a little to send to José and his mother. As a reward for my dancing, the children said I should have a large apple all to myself; and you cannot think my dear little friends howl liked it,—but, Oh! I thought I should have died with fright when the door opened and in came a large dog with Jacko, the monkey, riding on his back. ”

“ Unluckily, he arrived one morning when I was playing before the door in the sun. It was now winter; the snow was thick upon the hills, and the ponds and rivers were covered with ice; you will wonder that I should have been playing out of doors instead of sleeping as is usual with the Marmottes in winter; but when well fed and kept warm, this sleepiness does not affect us. As I before said, I was outside the door, and a short distance from the cottage, when Simon arrived, and gently advancing towards me with a piece of cake in his hand, persuaded me foolishly to go quite close to him. ”

“ The Old Lord seemed greatly pleased with the amusement of his labourers and workmen.
On Little Cæsar’s birthday, which was the 17th of June, he was allowed to invite a large party of his young friends to come and spend the day with him and his sister. They had a great deal of fun; donkey races for little books and toys, foot races, and games of every sort, from puss in the corner to hunt the slipper: the evening ended with a sillabub under a spreading beech tree; and great was the anxiety to find to whose share the ring and sixpence would fall. ”

“ How is it possible that little boys and girls can reconcile themselves to the idea of willingly inflicting pain on poor unoffending animals committed to their care, and formed for their benefit; but alas! it is, I [18] fear, too often the case; children are sometimes so very naughty; but hoping my little readers possess kind dispositions and feeling hearts, which would shudder at the idea of giving pain to a poor dumb animal, I will leave this disagreeable subject, and continue my own melancholy story. ”

“ May his fate prove a warning to all those who are disposed to behave cruelly and wickedly towards poor feeble animals, who have not force or strength to defend themselves. Let them remember that holy precept “do unto others as thou wouldest that they should do unto thee;” and ask themselves whether they would like to be as ill used as the miserable victims of their power.
One day, a few months after I had quitted the valley, Simon went out accompanied by two large dogs, to amuse himself with chasing some cattle which were grazing in the valley. ”

“ Grey continued very kind, and I heard her one day saying, “It is very wrong of you, Martha, to treat that poor little animal so ill; I always see you pinching and kicking it, whenever it comes near you.” Miss Stitcher did not answer, but turned away looking very ill-natured.
A short time after this, we went to London to pass a few days. I expected great amusement from all the pretty things there, and hoped perhaps to see my dear little Lucy, whose school was in that vast city. ”

“ My eyes, which are bright and sparkling, are placed at the side of my head, like those of a hare. The form of my body is between that of a bear and a rat, but much smaller than the former, and a good deal larger than the latter. ”

“ My novelty no longer pleasing my master, he soon sought to amuse himself by tormenting me, and treating me very cruelly. I am sure if spoiled children knew how disagreeable they make themselves by behaving naughtily, and how it makes them disliked, they would never give way to their ill tempers, or peevish whims. ”

“ Jacko no sooner heard the door shut than he jumped up from his basket, where it was supposed he was fast asleep, [32] and looked round the room to see what mischief he could be at. He first leaped upon a table where there were some beautiful prints, and unfortunately there was also an inkstand: well, Jacko peeped into this, and thinking, I suppose, what it contained would be good to drink, took hold of it in his paw and put it to his mouth, but spit it all out again a great deal faster than he had swallowed it. ”

“ These animals, rendered furious by this violent exercise, and the wounds inflicted by the teeth of the dogs which Simon barbarously urged on to attack them, turned [50] fiercely upon their savage enemy, and knocking him down, soon left him a bloody and mangled corpse; a frightful example of what the free indulgence of the passions generally leads to.
I am writing in the chimney corner of José’s kitchen, which I hope never again to quit for any length of time. I am as happy here as I can be: my only complaint is that the day is never half long enough ”

“ Oh! how bitterly did I now regret that idle curiosity which had led me to [21] approach this stranger, who had perhaps separated me for ever from my dear little José.
I felt sure I should die if left long in this horrible place, where the cold and disagreeable smell of the hare and rabbit skins made me feel quite ill: I crept into the corner the farthest from them, but here again a new and still more dangerous object presented itself in the form of a large dog lying fast asleep.
We Marmottes have as great an antipathy to dogs as cats have ”

“ Cæsar and Lucy who were talking very earnestly. “But,” said the little boy, “I do not see why I should be so sorry to go to school: it must be very nice to have so many companions of my own age.” “Yes,” replied his sister, “but you will be so far from home! so far from dear Grandpapa!”—“But I shall always come home for the holidays, and I shall have such long accounts to give you, dear Lucy, of all I have seen and heard—Oh! ”